In today's image, we see a pair of galaxies in the process of merging - a process which can take a billion years or more. Galaxy mergers are quire common and are how galaxies have grown in size from the small galaxies created after the Big Bang to the large spiral and elliptical galaxies we see today.

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This Podcast is an authorized New Media Mirror Site for APOD. You can access the image and website directly at: Astronomy Picture of the Day. You can use the archive link below the image to select the photo corresponding to the date of this podcast.

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